The integration will let users access databases and other software located on corporate mainframes through their browsers, a change that unites the legacy worlds of mainframes with the new world of intranets.

Netscape will deliver a beta version of the integrated product in early 1997, with shipment of the final version expected in the second quarter of next year. The software will also be demonstrated at next week's Comdex trade show in Las Vegas.

As part of the agreement, IBM is licensed to include Netscape
Communicator Professional Edition with various IBM hardware and
software offerings, marketing them through IBM's worldwide
sales and distribution channels.